Secret Partners: The Truth About Steve
by WriterJC
Summary: Fraser and Thatcher: What Ray doesn't know... could cause all sorts of problems.


Howdy all! It's day five! The characters STILL aren't mine and perhaps belong to Alliance even more than they did when I first started this thing! This is part four of an ongoing series of somewhat individual stories. The order is: 

"Secret Partners" "Secret Partners: Home" "Secret Partners: Unchained Medley" "Secret Partners: The truth about Steve" 

This segment is rated PG, and contains a teensy weenie spoiler to "Victoria's Secret". Also the title itself contains a tiny, practically unrecognizable spoiler to "North" Comments very much welcomed and appreciated at: Jackeec@aol.com or jacknant@charlotte.infi.net 

Secret Partners: The truth about Steve 

A sliver of weak, gray morning streaked through the vertical blinds adorning the windows of Margaret Thatcher's bedroom. As the sliver slid across the rumpled bed covers and touched Constable Benton Fraser, he awoke. Turning his head a quarter turn, he focused on a dark head, mused from sleeping and...other activities. 

Turning onto his side, he gently brushed her dark hair from her face and just watched her sleep. The clock on the night stand caught his eye. 6:57 A.M. He'd have to be leaving soon so he'd be ready when Ray came to pick him up at his apartment. 

Ray. 

He rolled onto his back, overcome by a wave of guilt. He'd been married nearly two weeks and his best friend didn't even know. Frankly, he wasn't sure how he'd managed to keep it away from him as long as he had. The only reasonable course of action was to talk to Margaret and convince her that Ray had a right to know. 

Mind made up, he rolled back onto his side. As he moved a hand toward her shoulder, she mumbled something in her sleep. He frowned as she continued to mumble agitatedly. 

Suddenly her eyes shot open, brown eyes staring into blue. "Ben?" she whispered softly in relief, her pulse still racing from some residual fright. 

"Yes?" He asked, concern reflected in his blue gaze. 

"I had a dream," Meg sighed, attempting to shake off its remnants. 

"It frightened you?" Ben asked, gathering her into his arms. 

Margaret nodded wordlessly into his shoulder. 

"Would you like to tell me about it?" he asked. 

"No," Margaret spoke, pulling back to look at him. "I'm just happy you're here," she said. 

Ben's eyes narrowed as he sensed a deeper meaning behind the words. "Margaret--" he began, needing to know more of what was bothering her. 

"Ben," Meg covered his mouth with her hand to stop him. "I'm fine," she said. 

Wanting to ease whatever fears she wouldn't admit to, and reassure her of his devotion, Ben slowly moved his hand to capture hers as it was falling away from his lips and gently kissed her finger tips, never breaking his gaze. "I'm here for you," he told her. 

Meg simply nodded, transfixed. 

*** *** *** 

"I'm terribly sorry for being late, Ray. I...overslept," Ben apologized as he slid into the passenger seat of the Riv. "If you'd like me to talk to the Leftenant . . ." 

"Nah, it's nothing, Benny," Ray softly dismissed his friend's apology. Noting the high color, and an unmistakable undercurrent of something he couldn't quite put his finger on, he added, "You okay?" . 

Ben turned and smiled. "Of course, Ray. I'm fine." 

Ray turned a skeptical gaze back toward the street and started the engine. He couldn't ever remember Benny 'oversleeping', except when... He pushed that thought aside. It couldn't be. He'd know if it were true. He sneaked another glance at his friend, who was simply smiling thoughtfully to himself. That was when he placed the undercurrent, and remembered where he'd last sensed it on the Mountie before. 

"Benny?" 

"Yes, Ray?" 

"You seeing somebody?" 

Ray almost slammed on the breaks when he saw the Mountie pale. 

"Pardon?" was all Fraser managed. 

"I said, are you seeing someone?" Ray repeated. 

"Uhh...in what way do you mean?" 

"Nothing. Never mind," Ray murmured, immediately changing the subject. "You want me to pick you up for lunch?" 

"I...ah, have a lunch appointment," Ben said. 

"Fine." Ray said, speeding in the direction of the Consulate without another word. 

A short while later, Ray eased the Riv along the curbside near the 27th precinct with more control than he was feeling. The urge to slam the vehicle in reverse, head back to the Consulate and make Benny tell him what was going on was strong. Instead he got out of the car and walked into the precinct. 

*** *** *** 

Lt. Harding Welsh, on a return trip from the snack machines caught the glum look on his detective's face. Realizing that he hadn't seen the Mountie around in a couple three weeks, he put two and two together and gestured the detective toward his office. 

"Close the door," he directed when Ray entered behind him. "What's going on?" he asked, cutting to the chase. 

"Sir?" Ray's eyes widened. How could he possibly be in trouble after the past three weeks? He'd even shrunk the pile of cases on his desk by 30 percent. 

"Why so glum?" Welsh answered, biting into a blueberry pastry. 

"It's nothing, Sir," Ray sighed, wilting. He almost wished for trouble. 

"Come on, Vecchio, you look like you lost your best friend. Speaking of which, where is the Constable these days?" Welsh was too good a cop to miss Ray's expression at the mention of the Mountie. "Sit down," he ordered. 

Fifteen minutes later Welsh had pulled the whole story of the Mountie's strange behavior out of his detective. Five minutes after that, they'd developed a plan of action. 

At precisely 12:01 p.m., Constable Benton Fraser left the Canadian Consulate and headed east. He continued along at a hurried pace for several blocks. Halfway down the third he paused and turned slightly. After a cautious glance over a shoulder he continued on at a more leisurely pace. 

An unmarked police vehicle pulled slowly past the red-coated figure and turned into a parking lot. By the time the car had turned around and pulled back out of the lot after the Mountie, he was no longer in sight. When scanning the streets in either direction failed to reveal the red uniform, a very disappointed rookie made the call to Ray. It was time for plan B. 

*** *** *** 

Ray strode into the Consulate as he had many times before. He reached the top of the steps, and purposely headed for the Mountie's office, though he knew it would be empty. Unfortunately, Constable Turnbull was seated at an outer desk eating what looked like tuna, but smelled like nothing Ray'd ever encountered - or wanted to encounter again. Even Diefenbaker, whom it seemed Fraser had oddly left behind, was keeping a wide berth. 

"Constable Fraser's not in," the blonde Mountie informed him. "Would you like to leave a message for him?" 

Ray answered in the negative, studiously avoiding making direct eye contact with the Constable's food. But taking pity on the wolf, he handed him the remains of a little Debbie cake he hadn't been able to eat. He felt he was completely casual when he asked his next question. "Is Inspector Thatcher in?" 

"She'll be out of the office for the remainder of the week," Turnbull informed him. "Constable Fraser will be acting Liaison until she returns." 

"She's gone?" Ray questioned, his discomfort growing. First the strange behavior, and the being late; now leaving Diefenbaker behind while he kept some mysterious 'lunch appointment' and the Dragon Lady out of his hair for a week... So far the evidence was only circumstantial, but growing. He would remain calm. 

"Where'd she go?" he asked. Perhaps he could still catch her and solicit her help in watching Benny in some other way. 

Turnbull graced the detective with a slight smile before replying, "I'm not at liberty to say, Sir." 

Ray knew what lie down this street as far as Turnbull was concerned. It'd be easier to teach a pig to fly than to get any details out of this one. Turning, he set to work on plan C. 

*** *** *** 

Meg glanced impatiently at her watch once more. The day's session of the Conference should have been over 5 1/2 minutes earlier, but the last speaker was being a bit long- winded. At the moment, she couldn't care less about the effects of the cod liver oil trade on the cough drop industry. 

Idly, she reached into a folder and pulled out the message that had been waiting for her after the lunch recess. The note was unsigned, but she knew who it was from. Only two people in the world addressed her as Margaret. But only one of those people said it in such a way that her knees felt weak. 

She could see his face as she read the words, hear his voice saying them, notifying her that he would be a little late arriving this evening. Now if the speaker would just hurry it along, she could get out of here and perhaps even surprise Ben at his place with take out. Too bad he didn't have a microwave... 

*** *** *** 

"I can't see a thing!" Ray muttered in disgust as he wiped at the Riv's foggy windshield. He'd pulled the car into an alley near Benny's, and under normal circumstances would have had a clear view of the apartment. But unfortunately, a driving rain had begun mere seconds after he'd cut the ignition. He was sure that there must be some cosmic conspiracy to prevent him from finding out what was going on. 

Frustrated, he opened the door and slipped out into the rain just in time to glimpse a dark figure entering Benny's apartment. Mentally kicking himself for not getting a better look, he started to cross the street toward Benny's building. That was when he noticed a more familiar red-clad figure pause up ahead. 

*** *** *** 

Ben paused a moment and glanced behind himself. Shaking his head, he continued on up the front steps of his apartment building, Diefenbaker at his side. As they neared 3J, he heard muffled sounds of a struggle coming from within. He rushed in to find Meg struggling with something large and bulky near the counter. On closer inspection he saw that it was a microwave with a huge red bow surrounding it. 

"Hello," he smiled curiously in her direction. He noticed that her normally immaculate hair had tumbled into her face leaving tiny damp tendrils to curl near her brow. Perhaps from struggling through the rain and up the steps with the microwave -- and Su Wong's take-out, he decided after identifying the other aroma that wasn't uniquely Margaret. 

Meg, straightening slightly from her struggles, returned his smile a little shyly. "I brought a present for you." 

"I see," he replied, setting his bag of groceries on the table and moving to help. 

"It's not so much heavy as it is awkward," Meg spoke somewhat breathlessly when they'd gotten the thing settled. 

"Yes," Ben nodded before turning to his wife. "Thank you. It's very...appropriate." Taking her hand, he lead her toward the bedroom. "I have something for you, too." 

*** *** *** 

Ray stood in the hallway of 214 W. Racine lost in a memory. He remembered the day they'd come to this place and found cigarette butts belonging to the man known as Jolly, and thus entered the nightmare known as Victoria. She'd ripped out Benny's heart, and with it a part his, too. He wouldn't let her do that again. 

Coming back to the present, he looked across the street toward Fraser's apartment. Was that a woman he saw in Benny's bedroom?! Digging out a pair of pocket binoculars, he trained them on the bedroom window. Before he could see much of anything, they stepped out of sight. But the glimpse of dark hair was all Ray needed to convince himself that Benny needed his help. 

*** *** *** 

Meg followed and settled obediently on the bed, while anxiety, fear and incredible excitement warred within. Before either emotion could win out, Ben began speaking softly. 

"When my father proposed to my mother, he did so with a bit of poetry, his own composition. And although my mother never recited it for me, she did admit that it was rather sappy. Along with the poem he gave her something else." Ben opened his hand to reveal a small velvet box. 

"I want you to have this," he said, opening the box to reveal his mother's wedding ring nestled within. When Meg simply stared in shocked silence at the ring, he removed it from the box and placed it on her left hand. After several moments of silence, Ben frowned, wondering if he shouldn't have given her the ring. "I understand if you don't want to..." 

"No," Meg whispered, finally meeting his eyes. "I...It's just that for the past week I've been living in this dream...it's as if any minute I'm going to wake up and..." She stopped short, heaved a slightly embarrassed sigh, and continued on through a teary smile. "It's beautiful, Ben. I love it and until I can wear it traditionally, I'll wear it close to my heart. Thank you." 

"You're welcome," Ben pulled her close. Just when they were millimeters apart a incessant pounding began at the front door. 

Ben rested his forehead against Meg's. "That would be Ray...." he let the words hang. 

Meg kissed him lightly and smiled. "Why don't you invite him in? It's time he heard the news." 

End this segment... comments? 

If any one is missing any parts they can be found at the archives, or feel free to email me and I'd be happy to forward a copy. :-) 


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